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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Quiksilver CEO Missing Off the Coast of France

As if there hasn't been enough bad news for the outdoor community over the past week or so, today we learn that Pierre Agnes, the CEO of Boardriders, the company that owns Quiksilver, has gone missing at sea.

Agnes had taken his boat out yesterday to do some fishing and hasn't been seen or heard from since. The boat itself ran aground near the surfing resort town of Hossegor, which immediately prompted a search and rescue operation by the French coastguard, but so far no signs of the businessman have been found.

Members of his Boardriders' team say that Agnes often went fishing before coming into work each morning. The waters of the Atlantic Ocean that he was traveling through are known for their turbulent waves that routinely draw surfers to the area. Thick fog was prevalent yesterday morning as well, although it remains a mystery as to whether or not these conditions played a role in the CEO's disappearance.

In a statement released publicly the company said, "The Boardriders family and entire surfing world are devastated by this news. We are concentrating on working with the local authorities on the search and rescue effort and supporting Pierre's family."

Search operations were suspended last night due to darkness, but were scheduled to resume today. The coastguard is employing three ships and two helicopters as part of the rescue effort, but of course the more time passes, the chances of finding Agnes alive diminishes greatly.

Our thoughts are with Agnes' friends, family, and coworkers in this sad time.